Objective, impartial advice for Property Investors and Landlords with a focus on the Edinburgh area

Tuesday, 22 November 2016

Winter is Here – Top Tips for Protecting Your Edinburgh Property

Well the clocks have gone back and it’s getting dark well
before 4:30pm in Edinburgh. The daily
chore of de-icing your car has started. Winter
can be a tough time for everyone – but none more so than landlords.

These colder months present potential risks to your
rental properties, which could lead to costly problems. However,
taking some time now to check your properties can help with un-expected costs
and help ease you through a disaster free winter.

Void
Periods

Void
periods are a major threat during the cold months. If
you know that your property is likely to be empty over the winter, you need to
make extra plans to ensure its upkeep. Make sure that you visit regularly to open windows and check
on the heating. If you can’t do this
yourself, make sure that you arrange for someone else to visit.

If your property is likely to be
unoccupied over the Christmas period, either while your tenants are taking
a long holiday or students are returning home, ensure that you take the
following precautions as expensive items on display are an easy target for
thieves.

Invest
in theft deterrents such as alarms (visible from the
exterior of the property) and motion sensors. Ensure that the locking mechanisms meet the
insurance policy requirements (usually 5 lever mortise locks but this may vary
from policy to policy).

It’s also worth checking if there are any neighbourhood
watch groups operating in the area and advise them of any void periods over the
festive season.

Prevention

Even
before you get to winter, get things checked out well in advance. If you are not covered by a guarantee or
warranty it will probably cost more to get stuff fixed at Christmas time (and
even if you do have a warranty it will take longer). So, if the boiler is making a wheezing noise
or the washing machine is clanking, have it checked out now.

Keep
Tenants Informed

Well-informed tenants are the best protection against
winter property damage. Don’t
assume that your tenants know how to deal with the cold weather; many won’t.
Similarly, you should remember that it is your responsibility as a landlord to
make sure they have the information they need.

Consider putting together an information pack, including
things like the location of stopcocks, basic boiler operation, and so on.
Remind tenants to periodically turn the heating on (using the timer system if
one is available) if they go away over Christmas, in order to ensure that pipes
don’t freeze. Another great way to
warm up your property is to bleed the radiators. This releases any
trapped air, allowing hot water to fill every part of your radiator and warm
the property more efficiently. It may be worth dropping off some radiator keys
to your properties and showing your tenants how to use them.

Make sure they know where the fuse box is and that they
know how to turn off the gas. Tell them
to keep a note of the number 0800
111 999 – they should call this if they smell gas.

Ask friends for names and phone numbers of good plumbers,
heating engineers and other trades people. Have some portable electric fan heaters you
can use to give your tenants to keep them warm if the heating conks out and no
one can come out and fix it promptly.

Getting
the Work Done
Only use properly qualified tradesmen who are member of a national body of
association. Check what membership of
the body gives you and check they really
are members by asking for ID. For
example, all gas engineers should be listed on http://www.gassaferegister.co.uk/ (the
new name for Corgi).

Decent plumbers and some heating engineers should be in http://www.ciphe.org.uk/ (which also has a list
of plumber and heating engineers who are available over the Christmas period)
or the Association of Plumbing and Heating Engineers. Some white good suppliers are closed for only
one day at Christmas.

If you are a landlord who may have a void property over
winter, then feel free to get in touch and let us at The Key Place provide you
with a fully reference checked and credit checked tenant in your property
before the weather gets even colder, to ensure your asset is protected.

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About This Blog

This blog follows the buy to let market in Edinburgh. You'll find tips, guidance, and analysis that relates specifically to Edinburgh and you'll also find properties from all the estate agents in the city on here that may make decent investments.

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Robert Young

I operate The Key Place and if you're thinking of buying a property to let in Edinburgh, I'll be happy to advise or just offer a second opinion. I can be contacted on news@thekeyplace.co.uk, or 0131 603 4570.